STAND. COM. REP. NO. 431

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 993

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 993 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SEA LEVEL RISE ADAPTATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, in consultation with each state agency having operational responsibilities over state facilities, to develop a standardized process to conduct vulnerability assessments for facilities owned and managed by the State at risk from sea level rise; and

(2) Appropriate funds for the development of the standardized vulnerability assessment process.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; Hawai‘i Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission; University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program and Climate Resilience Collaborative; and Imua Alliance. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that climate change and sea level rise pose significant, dangerous, and imminent threats to the State's social and economic well-being, public safety, nature and environments, cultural resources, property, infrastructure, and government functions. This measure provides for the development of a standardized procedure for assessing the vulnerability of facilities owned and managed by the State to sea level rise to ensure a consistent and coordinated statewide effort in building climate resiliency.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount;

(2) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $400,000.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 993, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 993, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,

____________________________

LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair